Evert - Sue Barker video

Between Margaret Court's great forcing forehand drive and Graf's amazing weapon, there were few more noted for that stroke, than Sue Barker of GB, who was steady enough to win a depleted field '76 RG. and got to the the semi's of W and Australia twice and was ranked #3 in the world. she has 11 singles titles to her name and 12 doubles per Wiki, including 2 grass, 5 clay and 4 carpet. . I had never seen her play before. while this match was not particularly competitive, you do get to see that shot. Post Graf, it may look second rate, but for its day, it really was impressive to hit winners on clay past a top form Evert. This shot had some real pop but the back hand mishits. Sue isn't steady enough for Evert and she is definitely slower but she puts heart into retreiving and courage into her strokes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwDgx14Ca28&feature=feedu

Between Margaret Court's great forcing forehand drive and Graf's amazing weapon, there were few more noted for that stroke, than Sue Barker of GB, who was steady enough to win a depleted field '76 RG. and got to the the semi's of W and Australia twice and was ranked #3 in the world. she has 11 singles titles to her name and 12 doubles per Wiki, including 2 grass, 5 clay and 4 carpet. . I had never seen her play before. while this match was not particularly competitive, you do get to see that shot. Post Graf, it may look second rate, but for its day, it really was impressive to hit winners on clay past a top form Evert. This shot had some real pop but the back hand mishits. Sue isn't steady enough for Evert and she is definitely slower but she puts heart into retreiving and courage into her strokes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwDgx14Ca28&feature=feedu

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Yes Sue's forehand is quite good with that old-fashioned racket.
Very few big forehand at that time.

It's interesting that so few top women players really have an outstanding top-tier forehand.

More women have an top-tier backhand but not forehand. For example Hingis, Serena, Seles, Evert.

Henin, Lindsay and Martina N have relatively balanced high quality forehand and backhand.Still their forehand is not at the same league as Graf. Actually although their forehands are great, they are still far behind the first-class standard of Graf's.

We normally have many competitors for best backhands in each era but when think of forehand, the shortlist is much limited and it's usually like Court for 60's, Barker for 70's and Graf from the 80's.

Is it because it's more difficult to develop and master a standing out first class forehand than a backhand? Why we see more top class backhand candidates in the backhand department(Seles, Serena, Hingis, Henin, Evert, Sabatini....) but only very limited candidates for best forehand(Court for 60's, Barker for 70's and Graf from 80's)?

Between Margaret Court's great forcing forehand drive and Graf's amazing weapon, there were few more noted for that stroke, than Sue Barker of GB, who was steady enough to win a depleted field '76 RG. and got to the the semi's of W and Australia twice and was ranked #3 in the world. she has 11 singles titles to her name and 12 doubles per Wiki, including 2 grass, 5 clay and 4 carpet. . I had never seen her play before. while this match was not particularly competitive, you do get to see that shot. Post Graf, it may look second rate, but for its day, it really was impressive to hit winners on clay past a top form Evert. This shot had some real pop but the back hand mishits. Sue isn't steady enough for Evert and she is definitely slower but she puts heart into retreiving and courage into her strokes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwDgx14Ca28&feature=feedu

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Nice find! It seemed that the only shot that Barker wasn't stronger than Evert was her backhand. And that's all it took.

Nice find! It seemed that the only shot that Barker wasn't stronger than Evert was her backhand. And that's all it took.

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yea, she took big swings at all sorts of shots in this clip which may have been worth risks on the forehand but paid the price in some bad embarrassing errors on overheads/backhands and medicocre dropshots. Its odd though, the Barker game looks roughly like Graf - ultra lite . You can't go for broke on the forehand, unless your one hander is rock solid and effective, and you move very very well. Evert ate her for lunch as she did with Graf, until Graf's game and physique developed. At what, 16 or 17, the lunch bit back.

Great¡ what a big forehand from Sue¡ Ruzici was one of the best cc players of that time, she looks so cute and exotic.I heard she has gipsy roots - very common in Romania-...she seems a bit the aborigin Goolagong¡

Looks like Barker had a nice forehand. I'm sure most of the great British public have no idea Sue Barker won the French Open. If any British player won the French or any major today, she would be made a Dame immediately.

Unfortunately that might never happen again ( a female player winning a major tournament)

I'm sure most of the great British public have no idea Sue Barker won the French Open. If any British player won the French or any major today, she would be made a Dame immediately.

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her own comments during that French Open put her 'win' in perspective.

It was cake as well for England 's 20-year-old Sue Barker , who went around carelessly beating a depleted women's field (thanks to Team Tennis) and saying how unsatisfying it was because she was in against "nobodies."

"I don't feel like I'm winning the French," she said. "I feel like I'm playing a B tournament and there's nobody to look forward to."

Sue may have felt, at the time, she was winning a "B" tournament. But she barely won the thing!! She had to go 3 sets in each of her last 4 rounds. If it was such a "B" tournament, she apparently bought her "C" game to the event!

Considering the fact she is in the record books as a French Open champion, she'd be well advised now to say how "thrilled" she was to have won the French. It will always go down as the highlight of her career, at least according to the tennis historians. Winning the Virginia Slims of Dallas just doesn't cut it with most folks.

Sue may have felt, at the time, she was winning a "B" tournament. But she barely won the thing!! She had to go 3 sets in each of her last 4 rounds. If it was such a "B" tournament, she apparently bought her "C" game to the event!

Considering the fact she is in the record books as a French Open champion, she'd be well advised now to say how "thrilled" she was to have won the French. It will always go down as the highlight of her career, at least according to the tennis historians. Winning the Virginia Slims of Dallas just doesn't cut it with most folks.

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Maybe it wasn't about tennis 'historians' to Sue in the first place and that is why she could afford such candor. Its her careerr highlights, if she wants them to reflect when she played her best, rather when when she got on the right champions list, I am fine with that.

I like watching Sue play a lot. She was so pretty to me and with matching pretty strokes. She almost got to the Wimbledon final in 1977 and was someone to be leery of in a grand slam field up until about the time of this match clip.

Sue, Ruzici, and Mima were all fun to watch for me. They were clever players which is one reason why their clay court prowess was so considerable.

Most Americans remember Ruzici from her match with Tracy at the 77 US Open and from winning the US Clay Courts in 1982. She was very attractive in an exotic way. Her forehand was the real deal and she's the first female player that really spent a lot of time running around her backhand. She could control a rally with even Evert or Austin if allowed to camp out two to three steps inside the backhand court.

Mighty Mima was a good doubles player too. That may surprise some folks. But she was very steady, had a good return, and could volley sort of like Kathy Rinaldi or later Mary Joe Fernandez.

Yes Sue's forehand is quite good with that old-fashioned racket.
Very few big forehand at that time.

It's interesting that so few top women players really have an outstanding top-tier forehand.

More women have an top-tier backhand but not forehand. For example Hingis, Serena, Seles, Evert.

Henin, Lindsay and Martina N have relatively balanced high quality forehand and backhand.Still their forehand is not at the same league as Graf. Actually although their forehands are great, they are still far behind the first-class standard of Graf's.

We normally have many competitors for best backhands in each era but when think of forehand, the shortlist is much limited and it's usually like Court for 60's, Barker for 70's and Graf from the 80's.

Is it because it's more difficult to develop and master a standing out first class forehand than a backhand? Why we see more top class backhand candidates in the backhand department(Seles, Serena, Hingis, Henin, Evert, Sabatini....) but only very limited candidates for best forehand(Court for 60's, Barker for 70's and Graf from 80's)?

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Very interesting, and you are right...Vicario,Novotna and some others not mentioned (Cawley,King) had better BH than FH.But in the FH side, you forgot Mandlikova, on of the greatest all time FH (men and women)

Very interesting, and you are right...Vicario,Novotna and some others not mentioned (Cawley,King) had better BH than FH.But in the FH side, you forgot Mandlikova, on of the greatest all time FH (men and women)

Sue Barker was somewhat overshadowed by Wade, and the British press, then & now, piled the pressure on her and her nerves were brittle at the best of times. That said, when 'on' she was a joy to watch. She was also stunning to look at, which actually probably didn't help as this also gave her considerable media attention. Interestingly, whilst rarely troubling Evert (although she did beat her) she gave Austin fits. And now she's a very successful, and popular, presenter for the BBC so it's all worked out for a lady who seems very genuine & likeable.

Between Margaret Court's great forcing forehand drive and Graf's amazing weapon, there were few more noted for that stroke, than Sue Barker of GB, who was steady enough to win a depleted field '76 RG. and got to the the semi's of W and Australia twice and was ranked #3 in the world. she has 11 singles titles to her name and 12 doubles per Wiki, including 2 grass, 5 clay and 4 carpet. . I had never seen her play before. while this match was not particularly competitive, you do get to see that shot. Post Graf, it may look second rate, but for its day, it really was impressive to hit winners on clay past a top form Evert. This shot had some real pop but the back hand mishits. Sue isn't steady enough for Evert and she is definitely slower but she puts heart into retreiving and courage into her strokes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwDgx14Ca28&feature=feedu

Ruzici certainly had a good forehand, and more consistent than Barker, but the latter probably (when firing on all cylinders) was regarded by most players as the best around at that time (1976-77). Evert said so herself in an interview with the BBC a few years ago.

Barker won Brighton beating US champion Tracy Austin along the way. It gleaned considerable press at the time. As I said before, she could be amazing to watch. Very popular in Australia apparently. Her forehand was anything but second rate. Graf did have the benefit of modern technology.
And Barker appears very happy in life, incredibly successful presenter (the lynchpin of BBC London Olympics). I'd say she is a winner in life- something I'm not sure that many of her contemporaries are? The girl's done good.

I am surprised Sue Barker with her very powerful groundstrokes and strong mental will never achieved more. I guess her lack of court movement hurt her. It was also dissapointing how her career fell off so badly after hitting her peak in 1977, still at quite a young age. Not sure what happened to her after that.

I am surprised Sue Barker with her very powerful groundstrokes and strong mental will never achieved more. I guess her lack of court movement hurt her. It was also dissapointing how her career fell off so badly after hitting her peak in 1977, still at quite a young age. Not sure what happened to her after that.

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Not sure grass was kind to her game. Her backhand was a relative weakness as well, especially as a passing shot.